Dharmendra, a very experienced actor, wasn’t mentioned in the In Memoriam segment during the 98th Academy Awards on March 15th, and this disappointed many fans and people he worked with. The tribute on TV didn’t include him, even though he died on November 24, 2025. People immediately reacted, with fans expressing their disappointment on social media and in the comments on websites, saying he should have been in the live tribute. Many pointed to his huge effect on Indian movies for many years, and how he was known in countries other than India.
Hema Malini’s Statement on the Omission
Hema Malini said strongly that it was “really shameful” that Dharmendra wasn’t included. She said he “was known and recognized everywhere,” and leaving him out of the televised tribute was disrespectful to him and his fans. She also said he didn’t let awards define his career; he cared more about what the public thought of him than about winning awards, and she herself hadn’t won awards for some of the performances people liked the most.
Family Perspective and Wider Support
Dharmendra’s daughter had a different opinion, suggesting he wouldn’t have cared about public praise. She said he valued love, being nice to others, and the place he had in people’s hearts more than being formally recognized or having a high status. She implied his reputation is safe, no matter what the TV show did. Other people in the movie world and viewers had different reactions; some were upset he wasn’t on TV, but some were happy the Academy did acknowledge him on their website.
Though Dharmendra wasn’t in the In Memoriam section of the TV show, his name is on the official Academy Awards website’s In Memoriam page. This page has over 300 people from the film industry around the world. This online listing shows he was part of the larger international film community. In the past, the Academy has honored Indian film people on TV or online, including Sridevi, Irrfan Khan, Shashi Kapoor, Nitin Desai, Bhanu Athaiya, and others. Because of that, people had expected Dharmendra to get a similar tribute on the live show.
What the Moment Means for Legacy and Global Recognition
The situation shows how much what’s shown on live TV, the choices made by the people putting the show together, and how much respect is shown to people in movies from all over the world are related. To a lot of fans and coworkers, not showing him on TV was a missed chance to celebrate a career that influenced many people’s culture over many years. However, the fact that he is on the Academy website and all the memories from fans, people he worked with, and his family show how much Dharmendra will always be remembered; and that won’t change based on one show’s schedule.
